The Cricket's Song
by FreezePride
Summary: Characters: Aeleus (Lexaeus), Even (Vexen) Ienzo (Zexion) In the midst of a summer's night, a new heart makes all the old memories seem refreshed and vivid. [ Aeleus/Even ]


Aeleus had never felt quite so exhausted. No, it was not his body that he was worried about. He'd weathered far worse in this resilient form. His body was strong, almost to a fault he admitted inwardly, never having been one to boast), but his mind was slipping. The world was absolute blur of pure, royal blue sky, softly shining stars above the verdant greens of an the overgrown courtyard which stood right outside the door to his personal quarters.

Aeleus was doing what he did best, he considered at length, feeling a touch ashamed now that he found himself quite so run down. He was guarding. The endless mental cycle which his thoughts continued to trek were running him down to the last straw of sanity, but in retrospect, they had left him a raw, numb state which allowed him to continue, regardless of the time. It had been so quiet, so terribly still around him that if the sun had not moved through the sky, he might have doubted that this was even happening. There was not a battle in sight, not a movement nor any sort of suspicious activity whatsoever, but that was the point of this waiting game, wasn't it?

He ran his free hand across the weathered wood of the door, thinking and wishing (not for the first time and certainly not the last), that he would hear something happen. Far into the night somewhere, a lone cricket chirped a song, the grass rustled softly as nocturnal animals padded softly along and Aeleus guarded. His duties, however, could not prevent his mind from wandering off to a happier time, on a night not unlike this one.

It had been a night when the weather was pleasantly warm, overwhelmingly fresh and inviting. A twenty one year old Even was laboring over his lab reports, yet again. This was no change from the norm. When Aeleus had been passing by, he had not been surprised to see him hunched over the lab table. The awkward way which he hunched gave the guard a moment of hesitation, peering back for just a hint longer as the other man turned for the door. Cradled in his arms was what looked like a bundle of pristine white, oversized lab coats but Aeleus exactly what (or rather who) they contained. Ienzo had fallen asleep again in the middle of working, and no wonder, it was near to midnight, but Even never kept track of time himself. It was no surprise that this little genius was following suit.

Even jumped slightly in surprise, seeing Aeleus who nodded in return, feeling that this was a lame excuse for a response, but words had always been unnatural for the eighteen year old. They felt blocky and unwieldy, on top of which, he simply could not stand the intimidating nature of his tone, despite his best efforts. Even nodded back, somewhat relieved to see him yet knowing the necessity for silence for their sleeping companion.

They made their way down the long hallways together, Even's footsteps soft, the cricket's song cheering them along, all the way down to Ienzo's dark, sparse room. Filled with books, on top of books upon even more books. No brightly colored drawings lined the walls, no toys were splayed across the floor. It was a testament to Ienzo's mind, but also proof of his loneliness and proof of his endless escapism. It was not a healthy start to the boy's life. He knew exactly where Ienzo had acquired the habit as well.

Even set the boy down gently on his bed, removing the lab coat carefully before tucking him in. He gave his head a nervous yet fond pat, as though unsure if he were allowed to, or even doing it correctly.

With another uncertain shake of his head he backed away and turned for the door. Aeleus smiled fondly at the two of them, a rarity for the stoic teen, and rarer still since he remained so very unsure of his own purpose, but he knew for a fact that there was something in the entire exchange which made him feel as though they had just defined 'hope' for him in that moment.

Aeleus shut the door carefully behind them as they exited. The pair walked in silence for part of the way back until Even slowed to a halt. He was gazing out of a nearby window, bright green eyes unfocused as a splay of cornsilk hair distorted his profile from view. To an untrained individual, this may seem like an accident, or worse, as a pretentious, high-and-mighty attitude. Aeleus knew better, it was Even's most common way of hiding.

"I never asked to be a caretaker." Even's words at face value could have been whining, but his voice was much softer, as though they were not meant to be voiced. "I wanted to be trained by Master Ansem. I wanted to become the greatest mind of my time. Now I'm saddled with the child prodigy extraordinaire and the duties of a castle which I have no idea how to run while he's away 'working'." He admitted to the window, as if passing on a secret which he meant for the window to tell Aeleus. "But all the child has to do is smile and I feel so...warm. I've never felt more stressed in my life, but I've never felt more fulfilled. It's the same when I know that you're nearby. I know that I can trust you." He ran a stray hand through his own hair nervously, a common habit of his. "Does that make sense? Do you understand?"

He finally tore his eyes away from the extremely important exchange he was having with an inanimate object to look at Aeleus, who was still calmly waiting for him to redirect his attention. He seemed eons older than a teenager. "Of course." He answered, his voice deep and soft with empathy.

Even smiled widely. Perhaps he had meant to say 'thank you' or perhaps 'good'. What came instead was, "You're perfect." The movement which followed was so organic, so natural that Aeleus wondered why it had not happened before, as though the other young man had imagined it over and over again, as though it were some sort of daily practice to which he was not yet privy until now.

Even got up on his tip toes and gave Aeleus a soft kiss. Nothing passionate, nothing suggestive, nothing demanding, but so incredibly personal and fond that the guard found himself caught in a dumbfounded silence as the other man pulled away.

The smile faded as a look of sheer, honest shock replaced it. Confused and disoriented, "Oh, I-" Even dug around his brain for an excuse and found a grand total of absolutely nothing. "That was-." He cut himself off. "I just-"

With a shake of his head after his horrified stare, Aeleus was surprised yet again to find Even retreating at a speed unexpected of a man who spent most of his time cooped up in a lab all day and night. Aeleus was no fool though, he shook himself from his reverie and dashed off after him. To do what? To say what? Did it really even matter? He couldn't let it end this way.

Which brought him back to to the present. Was this really any different? He ran his hand yet again across the wood grain of the door behind him, finding the cool surface to be a comfort in the early hours of this day, even moreso a comfort considering who was resting behind it.

Even was to resilient, too stubborn to remain in this catatonic state for long. Soon he'd be awake. Soon he'd be around, nagging anyone who stood still long enough to make that possible. Soon he'd break all this wretched stillness with a flurry of activity which only his particular brand of ridiculousness could demand. Aeleus straightened his back, stretched his sore arms and resumed his post. He had been a child then. He had not known how to respond. This time he would not let Even run. The crickets chirped the finale as the sun crested before his very eyes.


End file.
